What tools would you have in a perfect mobile workshop?

[RC]

I'm a hobbyist who like to tinker with anything ranging from computers to wood joinery and my biggest handicap is the lack of a workshop space. This forces me to work in the back yard for dusty stuff or in our housing complexes shared hobby room. Unfortunately I cannot leave my tools in either of these places over night so everything need to be foldable, stackable, packable and as uniform as possible for storage as well as reasonably portable (can carry 500 yards without dying).

I've done all sorts of renovations, including the rebuild of our current house from plumbing and electric cabling up to the ceiling, over the years and accumulated a bunch of tools of varying quality ranging from the outright dangerously bad to my latest acquisition of an OF 1400 EBQ router. Since I'm pressed for both hobby time and physical space I've come to the conclusion that I might as well sell off or trash the old cruddy tools and get top notch equipment instead and save myself the aggravation of working with 20€ supermarket gear in wobbly cardboard boxes.

Since I'm not an experienced wood craftsman (I work in information security by day) I'd be grateful for your insights what types of tools (both manual and power ones), possible make/model suggestions and insights why your suggestion is especially good for my "unfold in the morning, pack at sunset" wood workshop set-up in the back yard and the hobby hole. So compactness and multi-purpose equipment would be preferred in my eyes. 

My current projects range from terrace building to building custom cases to computer systems to making ceiling mountable LED-down-lights in a star-field simulation over the bar counter to restoring my trusty old -69 VW beetle. 

Obviously I could go and purchase the Festool catalog from start to finish, but that would mean a load of tools, which are partially very specialized to one task and would mean a nightmare in storage space with all the systainers  [scared]

I've seen many threads here where people have gotten most or all Festool sanders/drills/screwdriver models and ended up preferring one over the rest and having expensive equipment left in disuse. I would like to minimise this if possible. 

So what would You have if you got to start fresh with reasonable funds and loaded with your experience of what works and what doesn't?  ???

 

[peter halle]

You have asked the question that will get you many answers here.  I will offer up my thoughts.

First,  I am a contractor who has always wanted to be a hobbyist.  I have storage space for a portion of my tools, but like you I don't have a dedicated workshop.  My stuff has to be broken down at the end of play time at home and put away.  Many of my projects are done in my kitchen or living room.  I understand the amount of space that systainers take up - if there would be a world record for the most systainers ever in a private home I would bet that at one time I would own that record.

My ideas will differ from others.

First - dust collection.  Will save time for working versus cleaning.  Even if you get the smallest dust collector from Festool, you will reduce / eliminate the air borne dust that will elongate your cleanup time.  It might not get it all, but it will get the majority.

For straight cuts supported on a work surface - Plunge Saw.  TS-55.  If you are working with thicker materials occasionally or dealing with narrow thicker stock, look also at a typical circular saw.  If your cuts are longer that 1000 mm look into a longer rail.

If any of your work is curved - look into the Carvex.  A jigsaw also offers some capabilities for rougher thicker work with the proper blade.

Sander - Start out with a multi purpose sander that will get you thru the most tasks.  Recognize that you may have to augment with hand sanding in some situations.  Go with the Rotex 150.

Drilling and driving screws - Once again I would advise to go with a multi purpose drill.  Either a C-12 /15 or a T15.  Get the set that has the multiple attachment heads.  Also buy the cheapest corded drill that you can get that has variable speeds and the highest rpm possible.  Tomorrow I might be banned for saying this  [eek].  This will supplement your cordless and allow you to have a drill with a drill bit and a cordless with a driving bit at hand.

You already own the multi task router of the lineup, so no need to go there.

Look at the Fein Multimaster.  It will not offer sanding quality equal to the Festool, but it can sand in smaller areas than a Rotex and for non woodworking, but working on your home, situations it can be invaluable.

Get the rolling board that allows you to stack systainers on it.  Rolling this stuff is easier than carrying.

We all like pulling triggers and having something happen, but to start out, and to lower costs, if you have to use nails, get a good hammer rather than some sort of nail gun.  Nails were hammered by humans for more than one hundred years before nail guns - they still work.

Get a good tape measure, 4 good chisels, a folding rule, a block plane, a japanese pull saw, various hand tools, an excellent quality square, and a systainer to put them in.  That way the little stuff can roll with you.

I will leave this for others now.

Peter

 

[yankee]

i advise to get it as you need it. when you rush out and get a bunch of stuff you have not worked with before,  some stuff may lay on the shelf a good while and then you might wish you had waited for the latest newer model that has just come out, lol

 

[VictorL]

You'll need vacuum first, then MFT3 table with clamps. I'd say buy small cleaning kit, and your neighbors will be happy. After that you are free to buy tools per needed/project base. You can't be wrong with Rotex sander, but which model is best for you, nobody knows. 

VictorL

 

[Alan m]

you will definetly want the vac first. a boom arm would be handy but might make moving it a pain. the mft3 will be the center of your shop in this situation. maybe even a second mft for other tools. if not i would buy or builda nice fold up or knock down torsion box bench for you to work on and cut on.

 

[RC]

I totally agree that getting or building a descent work table is a priority as well as acquiring a dust collector.

I guess counter to my original intent of a clean start I'll list for your reference the better quality power tools that I already own are:
- Bosch GCM 10S miter saw + Bosch GTA 3800 miter stand
- Makita 4351FCT jigsaw
- Panasonic EY6432GQKW drill driver
- Festool OF 1400 EBQ
- Fein Multimaster Top FFM250Q
- Rapid Regulator 2000 hot air gun

Of the rubbish tools I have:
- Einhell beltsander
- Einhell random orbit sander
- Einhell 2mm plane
- Einhell Angle grinders 115mm and 230mm
- Stanley Stud Sensor
- No name circular saw
- Wolfcraft MasterCut 1000 work bench

Also I've got a couple of tool chests full of random screwdrivers, cheap chisels, cutters, electrical cutters, strippers, testers, multimeter, etc.

I've been mulling with the idea of an MFT/3 + the modular side attachment + module bases for the router, plunge saw and possibly a jigsaw. It's just my really bad experiences with foldable legged tables that is putting me off on this since every foldable "workbench" I've used wobbles this way and that when you try to saw or chisel something in the vice. Also I've got dismal experiences of my current Wolfcraft MasterCut 1000 which has a "universal" tool attachment table to one side which has become painfully clear that being able to attach a circular saw to it so that it would really honestly be parallel to the guide is an impossibility.

I'm really wondering, looking at my list or rubbish tools, that I guess after a vac the next upgrade would be a good random orbit sander. Now since I already have the Multimaster for tight corners I'm not totally sure if a Rotex RO 90 would be the best pick, but I read somewhere on this site that the larger ones (RO 150 I think) is hard to handle ??? Wonder what would be a wise acquisition in this space for rough, general and finish sanding & waxing and buffing the car? Possibilities are that a few years down the line I might have 40m2 of deck to sand too... Also high on the list would be a TS saw since I don't currently have a table circular saw - there logic would say to get a TS75 for the cut depth, but a TS55 for easier handling and size... I guess there is no good answer to that one   [tongue]

 

[fatroman]

I've got many of the same limitations regarding having to haul my gear outside, set it up and then clean up & bring it back in at the end of the fun.

First, I'd recommend a vac. Maybe the mini/midi fits your living space better, but getting one will make it possible to do some of your work inside and keep cleanup to a minimum. The boom arm is great, but not so much if you're constantly moving the vac inside and outside.

Then a sander. If you want to replace that belt sander and RO sander in one throw, look at the Rotexes. Figure out what the majority of your work requires - doing a lot of large panels, go with the 150; more overhead/small/car stuff, look at the 90 (yes, you've got the multimaster, but I don't like that as a sander unless I'm desperate). I've got the 125 and like it, but it is more difficult to keep flat than the 150 apparently is. You can figure out the technique needed to get good results, though. Just used it the other day to scribe some extension jambs that were going to take forever by hand planing, so it really will chew through some wood when you need it to.

You mention case building, so a TS55 saw would be a good fit there. (I didn't see how you were planning to break down panels otherwise, and assume you don't have a Unisaw stuffed under the bed)

MFT? It's more stable than you'd expect it to be (just make sure you tighten the knobs fully and you should have no big issues). I use mine to hand plane work all the time. Is it perfect for that? Probably not, but it gets me where I want to be. I also rarely use the cutting rail setup. Maybe that's just a reflection of the work I've been doing since I got it. But the table top with holes? Brilliant. (Definitely get the clamping elements if you get the MFT. If there was an award for most used Festool item here, that would be mine). Sure it folds up, but mine is mostly assembled at all times, and holding whatever the project of the day is. It's also not light, so don't think you are getting a card table that you'll keep moving inside and out. You certainly can, but you're not going to want to. At least repeatedly. Think of it more as a table that if you NEED to fold it up and get it out of the way, you can.

Outside of those, get a nice ratcheting screwdriver with some good bits. Cheap screwdriver ends that won't stay put in the screw heads are unhelpful. Get some nice-ish chisels and keep them sharp. But you certainly don't need a set of high end chisels. And I'd echo what Peter said about a Japanese pull saw (one with a folding handle is, well, handy) and a really good square. I'm going to guess that your living space is too small for a compressor to squeeze in. Maybe they've got those CO2 canisters (like this one) in Finland? I don't mind framing by hand, but for finish nails I really prefer a gun.

 

[Dan Clark]

Reiska,

I pretty much agree with the other folks here, especially Peter.

CT26 - A vac should be your first purchase, probably a CT26.  The Festool 27mm or 36mm hose should fit in your Bosch miter saw dust port and give you MUCH better dust collection. Once you start working in a mostly dust-free environment, you'll never go back. It completely changes your perspective.

MFT - While it may not be quite as stable as a 150 kilo workbench, you'll find it very stable. With Festool clamps and a TS55 saw, you'll be amazed at what you can do with an MFT. And having a flexible workbench system at your worksite increases your productivity in ways that are difficult to describe.

Drilling/screwing - I'm a big fan of Festool drills, especially the C-series. My old C12 with multiple chucks has solved literally hundreds of problems.  That said, an impact driver is VERY useful. I have a Makita and love it!

Sanding - My favorite Festool sander is the RO90.  With it's multiple sanding pads, it's flexibility is amazing. Until a week ago, my RO150 was my second favorite.  A Mirka Ceros now holds #2 spot. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Good luck with you projects.

Dan.

 

[fdengel]

Remember to take advantage of the bundle pricing.

If you are getting a CT and the MFT, look for a combination of bundles that gets you each of them with one of the tools to save $$.